freeallnovels Chapter 294 - 287: Intelligence and Plan
Chapter 294 - 287: Intelligence and Plan
"In that case, we can use the unique characteristics of the ’Jade-Tipped Snowy Peak’ to find the power leak. It would also be a good entry point for a deeper investigation."
"Exactly."
"Will it only be the three of us as the core participants for this operation?"
Shi Ming asked.
For a mission this dangerous and uncertain, quality was more important than quantity; more people wasn’t necessarily better. However, it was essential to understand what other arrangements and deployments Da Yu had made.
"Initially, yes."
"A lineup of three S-class Awakened is already quite stacked. Our mission this time is only for exploration, not to fight any potential sea beasts. We just need to find clues and traces of the fallen Holy Hall Sea Beast on Mount Everest—things like its corpse, remains, or even just signs of its activity. That would be considered a success."
"The follow-up work will be handed over to more specialized researchers."
It wasn’t just Da Yu; every one of the six King-level Wandering Ships craved the power of a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast.
Before the Great Black Heaven Dragon became widely known, just the remains of the Immortal Evil Eye obtained by Lighthouse had already made massive waves in the research community. But the higher-level factions understood that such immense power was extremely difficult to control, so they were all the more cautious when dealing with it.
Even a byproduct like the Sea-Rising Cherry Root could easily lead to destruction if handled carelessly.
To Elder Zhou, who presided over the Jiuzhou Platform, Shi Ming’s strong resemblance to the "blurry figure" was likely the key to the mission. He was meant to be the catalyst. Rong Bing and Li Jiuyuan were more in supporting roles, meant to assist Shi Ming—another suspected vessel of "golden luck"—in activating the unique phenomenon on Mount Everest.
"Although there are only three of us, we’ll have extra support this time. The Nine Cauldrons’ artifact, Jade Sea Cangwu, will be temporarily loaned to us. With it, our exploration will have a much higher margin for error. We’ll be better equipped to handle the potentially harsh environment and unexpected situations on Mount Everest."
Jade Sea Cangwu.
Shi Ming had heard of it.
It was the 57th-ranked treasure on the Artifact List.
Its original name was "Phoenix Perching on the Parrot Wood." As the guardian treasure of the Nine Cauldrons’ ship, it could grant its wielder twenty minutes of immunity to environmental damage like fire, ice, lava, and toxic mist. It was definitely a trump card for dealing with emergencies.
Three S-class Awakened, the artifact Jade Sea Cangwu, and the Kunwu Heaven-Opening.
Just the power they had on display was an absolutely stacked lineup.
Beyond this, the other intelligence Rong Bing shared wasn’t particularly noteworthy. It was mostly about Mount Everest itself—its history as the highest peak in the Endless Ocean, how sublime and majestic it was during the Land Era, and how it was synonymous with the pinnacle of achievement.
However, there was very little information about the supposedly fallen Holy Hall-level Sea Beast.
Da Yu had only managed to indirectly confirm its attribute was "Life" and that its form was roughly that of a colossal, sky-piercing pillar, which was largely consistent with the information Ah Jian had given Shi Ming.
With that, the intelligence briefing concluded.
Next up was the "brainstorming" session.
"Captain Rong, I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"Holy Hall Level Power far surpasses that of ordinary sea beasts, and its mysteries are beyond our imagination. So how does Da Yu know that the Holy Hall-level Sea Beast inside Mount Everest has already fallen? Is it possible that it’s merely sleeping, or has entered a low-consumption state of hibernation, just like the Great Black Heaven Dragon on Fujing Mountain?"
"Good question."
Rong Bing nodded.
"The beast’s fall is just a high-probability conjecture. Da Yu can’t even confirm with one hundred percent certainty that a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast exists inside Mount Everest at all. That’s another objective for us to verify on this trip. Therefore, as long as we find evidence and clues of its existence, the mission will be considered complete."
Li Jiuyuan immediately followed up with a second question.
"I have a question, too. The Xirang Research Institute headquarters has been on Mount Everest for thirty years and never discovered a single trace of it. Why would Da Yu, over a hundred nautical miles away from the mountain, suddenly have a lead?"
Li Jiuyuan was one of the pillars of the Xirang Research Institute.
He was familiar with most of the ongoing projects at the Xirang Research Institute, none of which involved a Life-attributed Holy Hall-level Sea Beast. This left him very confused. ’There’s something on my own turf that I don’t know about?’
Rong Bing answered each of these questions in detail.
"This is the latest revelation from the Jiuzhou Platform."
"It’s also the latest opportunity detected by the Destiny Golden Toad."
"A great opportunity exists on Mount Everest, one comparable to the Moonlight Ripple Beast. Both were detected by the artifact, the Destiny Golden Toad. Its fortune-seeking ability can be activated once every ten years, and it reveals opportunities as well as crises."
The Destiny Golden Toad was an open secret in the Endless Ocean. It was an artifact that the other five King-level Wandering Ships deeply envied but could never even borrow. It could only be used in the Sea of Soaring Dragons; once it left that region, it would become an ordinary, useless antique.
After the intelligence sharing was complete, they moved on to discussing strategies and plans.
Rong Bing, with the backing of Da Yu, presented three proposals. The group discussed them for a long time before settling on a preliminary plan.
It was late at night by the time Shi Ming returned to the Da Yun.
...
"Ah Jian, do you think their plan is feasible?"
During the discussion, Ah Jian had been curled up on Shi Ming’s collar, listening in.
The long-lived insect, with its vast library of memories, could essentially act as a search engine. When the Eye of the World couldn’t provide relevant information, it could search its own experiences for advice and suggestions.
"It’s highly feasible,
"The Creation Celestial Pillar... because it evolved from a plant, even if it’s alive, its aggression and danger level are lower than... the Great Black Heaven Dragon."
"If it has truly fallen, it will be... an ineffable opportunity."
An ineffable opportunity...
"If it’s still alive... what are its skills?"
"The Creation Celestial Pillar’s Holy Hall Level Skills... I don’t know their names. But in my memories, there seems to be a scene of it fighting. Master, you can understand the gist of its skills from this memory."
As Ah Jian spoke, it sent a piece of memory over through their Spiritual Power link.
It was from an ancient era, before the appearance of humanity.
...
A colossal, world-spanning tree stretched from the earth to the heavens. It was rooted in the ancient land, its brown bark like the annals of history, yet it teemed with vigorous life. Its canopy pierced the clouds, like a bridge to the firmament, a pillar holding up the sky after Nuwa mended the heavens.
It shuddered,
and countless tiny leaves and branches scattered. Where they landed, they took root, and the world grew bountiful.
It also dropped a seed.
A lucky beast snatched it up and swallowed it.
The beast’s body immediately swelled and exploded!
As the chunks of its corpse scattered, they were torn apart and devoured by several other carnivorous animals. This time, there was no violent energy explosion. Instead, a few ordinary land beasts faintly ascended to A-class! Their bodies also grew dozens of times larger!